Monthly Archives: February 2013

10 Ways to Save On Apartment Carpet

Landlords and rental property owners can easily save a fortune on Carpet and Flooring replacements by following the tips, tricks and tidbits revealed in this timely article by Alan Fletcher – a 30 year carpet and flooring expert.

The carpet you install in your rental unit must be able to endure the normal wear of your typical tenant. You also need to consider the frequency of your current carpet replacements and if you allow pets. Select a lower grade of carpet if you tend to replace it more often due to pet damage or excessive wear. Choose a better grade carpet if you do not allow pets and your tenants are generally not overly rough on your carpets. The trick to saving money here is to select a grade of carpet with a life expectancy equal to or exceeding the lifestyle and average length of stay of your tenants.

Many factors contribute to this approach, including the average age of your tenants, number of children, average income and occupation, type of pets, etc. Selecting a better grade carpet can potentially add several years to the life expectancy of your carpets. It could be well worth the additional expense if you do not allow pets and your average tenant stays for 5 to10 years. It may be a waste of money if your average tenant turnover were less than 2 years and you allow pets.

Walkers, power-chairs and wheelchairs are very damaging to residential grade carpets installed over pad. The rubber wheels are very abrasive and tend to roll the carpet in front of the wheels causing the carpet to stretch out and develop wrinkles. This can quickly ruin even the best-made carpets.

Thick carpet pile and thick padding are the absolute worst for anyone who is unstable walking and it increases the chances of tripping and falling. Thick carpet and padding also make it more difficult to push and maneuver wheelchairs and walkers.

To make it easier to get around you might want to install a low-profile carpet no thicker than 1/2″ pile height. Basically, the shorter the carpet pile the better and the thinner the pad the better!

Wheelchairs tend to roll very easily over commercial-grade carpets and these are commonly installed in schools, businesses, institutions and retirement homes.

You might want to consider using a commercial-grade “level loop” or “cut pile” carpet, with either a 1/4″ (10-pound density) padding or better yet, use no pad underneath at all, just glue the carpet directly to the floor. It’s not very soft underfoot without a pad but it is easier to clean, more durable, easiest to walk on and easier to push a wheelchair around too.

The cost for a basic commercial-grade carpet is very reasonable, about $12-15 per yard installed for a 20 to 26 ounce (level loop or cut pile style) Single or multicolored, commercial-grade carpet. Look for Mohawk or Shaw brands for the best deals. See who I recommend near you.